DRIVEN: One of planet’s top SUVs, the Mazda CX-9, improves for 2019

Richard Russell

Published: Jan 23 at 2:43 p.m.

Updated: Jan 30 at 7:59 p.m.

The Mazda CX-9 is a treat to drive and one of those rare family vehicles in which many owners form an emotional bond.

The 2019 Mazda CX-9 looks exactly the same as last year, but hidden beneath that familiar and attractive sheet metal is a mid-sizer that thinks and acts like a bigger and more expensive utility vehicle.

The 2019 Mazda CX-9 looks exactly the same as last year, but hidden beneath that familiar and attractive sheet metal is a mid-sizer that thinks and acts like a bigger and more expensive utility vehicle.

The Mazda CX-9 is a treat to drive and one of those rare family vehicles in which many owners form an emotional bond.

Many people of a certain age will not know or care about Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but many consumers with fewer candles on their cake are very interested.

These features are indicative of the changes made to the Mazda CX-9 for the 2019 model year. Nothing major. Rather, a host of updates and upgrades that move Mazda’s largest utility vehicle toward a younger and more upmarket audience.

The CX-9 was already one of the most desirable three-row utilities on the market. I joined my fellow AJAC members a year ago in voting the 2018 version the best large utility vehicle on the Canadian market. A few months later it also made the Top-10 list for World Car of the Year.

The changes for 2019 do nothing but enhance that impression.

The top-tier Signature trim level has been a hot seller. Accordingly, for 2019, Mazda has focused on making the CX-9 a viable and much less expensive alternative for folks who might otherwise be considering a luxury nameplate.

I spent a week and several hundred kilometres with the new CX-9 in Signature trim. The move to attract a new group of buyers includes not only support for Apple and Android smartphones, but also front-seat ventilation, a 360-degree view monitor that uses four cameras to give a birds-eye view of the vehicle’s surroundings, and a 17-cm TFT display in the centre of the instrument panel.

(Current Mazda owners with the appropriate infotainment system can have their dealer install the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto features as an upgrade for less than $500.)

Supple NAPA leather covers the seats and steering wheel. A ceiling-mounted LED unobtrusively bathes the centre console in light, and the mirrors fold in when you lock the doors as you leave.

The 2019 Mazda CX-9 looks exactly the same as last year, but hidden beneath that familiar and attractive sheet metal is a mid-sizer that thinks and acts like a bigger and more expensive utility vehicle. - Richard Russell

Then interior is very well finished with high-end materials like real wood and very little hard plastic. The display screen is mounted high atop the centre of the door-to-door instrument panel.

When and if not in use, it can be lowered into the dash. The incorporated navigation system can be operated through the console-mounted controls — a rotary knob, flanked by five buttons.

With your arm on the armrest, your hands naturally fall upon the controls. There is also a separate rotary knob in that area to control audio system volume.

The combination of this intuitive interface, and a heads-up display that projects speed and other information on the windshield at just below eye level, allows you to keep your eyes where they belong — on the road.

The CX-9 has three rows of seats, but is smaller than the big body-on-frame utilities, so that third row is cramped for adults. But there for those occasions when seven-passenger capacity is needed.

Front and middle rows provide plenty of space for full-sized adults. The second row will actually accommodate three child seats.

The downside of this third row in a relatively short vehicle, is a lack of cargo space behind that third row when it is in place. The upside is that the CX-9 is easier to manoeuvre in tight quarters than those bigger ones.

The 2019 Mazda CX-9 looks exactly the same as last year, but hidden beneath that familiar and attractive sheet metal is a mid-sizer that thinks and acts like a bigger and more expensive utility vehicle. - Richard Russell

Like all Mazdas, the CX-9 is a treat to drive and one of those rare family vehicles that many owners form an emotional bond with.

This company has made driving dynamics a core characteristic. This, as much as design and quality, is part of the reason people who like to drive, like Mazdas.

This is another area that has been enhanced for 2019. Again, nothing major, but a number of little changes, including tweaks to the steering, and suspension aimed at proving a more linear feel accompanied by improved ride quality.

If you do choose to tackle some twisty roads with a bit of verve, the CX-9 rewards with a linear steering and a tight chassis that shows of its rigidity. As I said previously, Mazdas are for drivers.

Additional sound insulation for 2019, brings an even quieter ride.

The CX-9 is powered — more than adequately — by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. With 310 lb.-ft. of torque, there is plenty of poke for merging and passing.

With less liberal use of the accelerator, fuel economy is impressive for a vehicle of this capacity. I average 9.1 litres/100 km for a mixture of city and highway running. The four may not be as smooth as a six, but this one doesn’t feel like it needs the extra cylinders and fuel consumption. It produces 227 horsepower on regular fuel and 250 if you opt for high test. Torque remains the same at 310 lb.-ft., so save your money.

The six-speed automatic is short a few gears compared to some competitors, but performs flawlessly in transferring power to four wheels through the standard all-wheel-drive system.

A special tip of the hat for the cruise control system. It maintains a set speed, instead of allowing it to drop off several km/h on hills as is so often the case.

The 2019 Mazda CX-9 looks exactly the same as last year, but hidden beneath that familiar and attractive sheet metal is a mid-sizer that thinks and acts like a bigger and more expensive utility vehicle.

The Mazda CX-9 is a treat to drive and one of those rare family vehicles in which many owners form an emotional bond. - Richard Russell